Born and raised in Great Falls, Montana, Padyn Humble is a sculptor whose work deals with queer motifs. In his work, he utilizes Western iconography and his content is in direct dialogue with Montana’s hypermasculine social and cultural standards. Inspiration for his work stems from childhood influences like cartoons, Barbie, and truckstop souvenirs. Humble has been an active artist since 2014. Since then, he has held over eight solo shows, created a collective to effect change in his town’s art scene, and curated five large art exhibitions. He received his BFA in painting from the University of Montana in 2018.

"I am interested in intersections of masculinity, sexuality, and privilege, and how meeting social expectations awards personal advantage. For instance, the Wild West’s masculine ideals are influenced by deeply ingrained cowboy ruggedness and resilience. I research predispositions of this norm and how these standards are perpetuated through cultural models. I look to reproductions of the Western attitude to dissect their legitimacy through exaggeration, contradiction, and/or recontextualization into queer identity. The work both perpetuates and challenges a constructed gender binary that uses masculine and feminine codes.

Recontextualizing objects and images requires an understanding of the original intention or history while simultaneously questioning their currency. This is done by compositional fragmentation, suggesting masculine values are fragmented, and elevating the presence of femininity. Combating gender expectations happens when “feminine” attributes such as the color pink, glossy textures, sequins etc. are contrasted with “masculine” identifiers like boots, body hair, and work equipment. By utilizing familiar aspects of Western culture, I seek out or create queer dialogue in an otherwise homogeneous discourse. This combination of visual elements allows my sculptural work to create a gender inclusive social landscape."